Organizers for vehicle cargo areas are known. Organizers can be used to compartmentalize vehicle cargo areas, such as a trunk, and help users efficiently place and store various items such as bags of groceries, files, or automotive supplies. Organizers also help prevent undesired shifting and mixing of these various items during transit, which can include sharp turns, steep hills and quick stops.
One known organizer includes a base plate having fixed side walls and a sliding intermediate divider that laterally adjusts for different sized items that may be placed on the base plate. Telescoping rods can be connected between one fixed side wall and the sliding divider to support the side wall and divider and to prevent packages from tipping. However, the size of the base plate is not adjustable.
Another organizer has a base plate with openings to receive removable divider walls. The organizer allows a user to create different sized compartments on the base plate by re-orienting the divider walls to efficiently receive items having different sizes. The divider walls can be clamped together to securely retain items during transit. However, the size of the base plate itself cannot be adjusted to accommodate different cargo area sizes.
Yet another organizer has a pair of elongated dividers that form an "X"-shape and have attachment points for elastic cords. A user can place items such as grocery bags in the regions bounded by the dividers and then elastic cords can be securely fastened to the dividers to the hold the items in place. However, the "X"-shaped organizer does not allow selective adjustment of its length.
Thus, the known organizers have fixed overall sizes. Moreover, these organizers do not provide added safety for a stranded motorist.